Saddle Club Ever After
by Chary Moota
Summary: This is the story that my prevous SC story is from. Lisa, new to Willow Brook stables, makes new friends...and loses some to untimely deaths. LAST CHAPTER, CHAPTER 9, UP!
1. Chapter 1

Lisa Atwood slammed the car door. It was a sunny August afternoon, and the weather was the nicest it had been all summer. She walked over to a building-no, a stable-and looked at it. "Oh, Mom, it's beautiful!" Lisa cried. Her mother, who was beginning to emerge from the car, rolled her eyes. "Lisa, I told you we could check the place out. That doesn't mean I'll let you join!" But Lisa didn't hear, as she was running into the stables. Her mother sighed and followed her.

Mrs. Atwood found Lisa by a stall that contained a small, fat pony. "Mom, isn't he gorgeous!" Lisa cried. She excitedly read his nameplate. "Red Rover. Huh. What a beautiful name!" she grinned. "Lisa, CALM DOWN!" Mrs. Atwood cried. She was then tapped on the shoulder. She whipped around. "Oh my-umm, I'm sorry for the outburst!" she muttered. The man who had tapped her smiled. "Oh, a little screaming never hurts anyone! I'm Max Regnery." He extended his hand and Mrs. Atwood took it. Lisa tilted her head curiously, and then smiled. "Hello! I'm Lisa!" She raced over to Max and grinned. "Oh, hello Lisa." Max looked at Mrs. Atwood. "Is she your daughter?" "Y-yes." "Are you signing her up for lessons?" Mrs. Atwood looked at Lisa, who carried the Devil's Smile. "Why, yes," she said. "Yes I am."

Lisa brushed Red Rover. She had been assigned to ride him, and she wanted him to be as perfect as possible. As she went to put his brush away, she bumped into a girl. "Oh! I'm sorry," Lisa said. The girl glared at Lisa, and then lightened up. "No worries. I'm Veronica DiAngelo. You've probably heard of my father, Paul McCartney DiAngelo," she smirked. "No, I haven't." Veronica groaned. "Well, you have now!" She looked at the brush Lisa was holding. "So, you have Red Rover?" "Y-yes, I do. He's actually more annoying then I thought!" Veronica smiled as she removed a small pill from her pocket. "Well, that can be taken care of, for a price."

Stevie Lake and Carole Hanson yawned. Max was explaining how to feed your horse 100 different ways, and the whole class was falling asleep. Carole turned to Stevie and whispered, "You wanna skip class? We can see what Veronica's up to." Yes people, Veronica skipped class too, but was that expected or what? Lisa didn't have to go today, as it was her first day. Stevie grinned and nodded. When all was clear, the pair tiptoed out of the room and into the stall room.

Lisa and Veronica were in Red Rover's stall. "Veronica, I don't think…" "Shut up! You want Red Rover to be PERFECT, don't you?" She shook up a small bottle. Carole and Stevie heard the two talking and crept up behind the door. "Well, yeah, but not with the help of steroids!" The pair gasped. Veronica dropped 14 pills into the bottle. She raised it up to Red Rover's face. "Tilt his head back!" Lisa shivered. "N-no!" "WHAT?" Carole and Stevie burst the door open. "She said no! Veronica, how the heck did you get those?" Stevie asked angrily. "Why should I tell you, you dirty lower class rut?" Veronica spat. "BECAUSE OF WHAT I'M ABOUT TO DO TO THAT FAT LOOK OF STUPIDITY ON YOUR FAT, STUPID FACE!"

Stevie punched Veronica in the nose. Veronica, her nose bleeding all over her new jacket, bit Stevie's hand. As the two continued fighting, Carole grabbed Lisa's hand. "C'mon, you don't wanna get in trouble on your first day, do ya?" The pair ran out to the ring, where Kristi, Veronica's best friend, was riding her horse Virgo. As they lay on the fence, they breathed heavily. Kristi and Virgo trotted over to them. "Hey, Carole, what are you doing with the new girl, practicing dressage?" She cackled somewhat evilly. Hey, she is KINDA evil! Carole glared. "No, but your pal Veronica was trying to give Red Rover pills!" Lisa piped up. Kristi gasped. "Seriously?" The two nodded. Kristi ran to find Veronica.

Carole turned to Lisa. "You shouldn't have said that. Now Stevie will get in trouble!" Lisa gasped and looked down. "I d-didn't think about that…" "You don't seem to think much, do you?" She tapped on Lisa's forehead. "D'you even have a brain in that cruddy head of yours'?" she screeched. "Hey, my head is just fine! You need to have an attitude adjustment!" Lisa yelled back. Carole turned away. "To think I was going to make you part of our gang." She ran to find Stevie, leaving Lisa alone once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Lisa and Red Rover trotted around the ring. "Great, Lisa! You're doing very well!" Max cried. The rest of the class groaned. It was the first lesson of the week. Carole, Stevie, and Veronica were still mad at her for tattling, as they had been suspended for 3 days. The others disliked her because she was stealing the spotlight. When Lisa got off, Max turned to her. "Lisa, I think I should put you on Comanche." Stevie gasped. "But Max, Comanche's MY horse!" Max glared. "You should be happy you can even RIDE here. You'll take Red Rover." Stevie growled at Lisa.

She quietly walked to the back of the line, and a kid named Sam from her school smiled at her. "Hi Lisa. Great riding today." Lisa sighed. "Thank you." Sam put his arm around her. "How 'bout help me after class?" Lisa looked at him. "Well…no, I'd rather be alone." When class ended, Lisa darted to wait for her mom.

Carole sat next to Lisa. "Umm…Lisa, can I talk to you?" Lisa, eyes red, nodded. "Well, I'm sorry about last week. I was just mad." She slammed a badge in her hand. "You want to join the Saddle Club?" Lisa's eyes widened. "You mean you'll let me?" Carole nodded. Lisa hugged her. "Oh yes, I'll join!" And Lisa went home, happy about what had happened.

"YOU WHAT?" Stevie and Carole were eating dinner at the diner. "Well, I mean, she has no friends and…" "She got me in TROUBLE! I HATE HER!" Carole squirmed in her chair. "A club isn't just two people, Stevie!" she whispered. "I DON'T CARE! WE AREN'T REALLY A CLUB, FOOL! WE ARE TWO POOR GIRLS WHO ONLY HAVE TWO THINGS IN COMMON-WE LIKE HORSES AND WE HATE VERONICA!" "S-so what? We're still good friends; Lisa can be our friend too!" Stevie smacked her head. "You wanna be happy, huh? Tell ya what. We'll give the blasted girl a trial, and if I like her, she stays." As the two left the diner, Stevie muttered. "And I ain't liking her so far!"

Veronica dialed the phone. "Hello, Atwood residence, Melanie speaking." "Hello, this is the rich, beautiful, kind-." "Save it. You wanna talk to Lisa or something?" Lisa's little sister Melanie asked. "How did you know? You stalker!" "Hold on." "Hello, Lisa speaking." "Lisa, hi, it's Veronica." "Oh. Hello." "I'm having a sleepover on Friday night and I was wondering if you could come." "Erm, sure, I guess. Who else is coming?" "Kristi, Carole, Dana, Ally, and, well, you." "Don't Dana and Ally hate horses?" "So what? They SOO want to meet you! Now I'll see you Friday, hmm? Good bye!" And Veronica hung up. How so very like her.

It was Friday. Lisa and Carole hauled their stuff onto Veronica's porch. She lived in a huge mansion on the steepest hill in all of Pine Hollow. Carole rang the bell, and a man in black tie opened it. "Hi, we're here for Veronica's party." Lisa said. "Yes. You are Miss Lissy and Miss Parole, I presume?" Mr. Ask Jeeves asked (wow, HE'S actually asking the stupid questions for once!). "No, it's Lisa and Carole." "As I said! This way." He showed them to a marble staircase that winded like a snake. "Whoa! The mobsters!" Carole whispered. They heaved up the stairs and found their way to Veronica's room.

Pressing the small doorbell, the door opened. "Veronica? Veronica?" Lisa asked, poking her head in. "Over here, girlfriends!" Veronica called. Carole held her breath to stop from laughing. The two dragged their bags into the vast room, where Veronica, Kristi, Dana, and Ally were playing Truth or Dare. "You two are just in time for the game!" Lisa looked at Carole and shrugged. They sat down in the circle.

Lisa looked at Dana and Ally. Dana was tall, about 11, and had dirty blonde hair. She had green eyes and matching braces. Carole was studying Ally. Ally was shorter and looked as though she was 8 instead of 10. She hosted black hair upon her head and had brown eyes. Dana grabbed Lisa's arm. "C'mon! Let's play Truth or Dare!" Veronica grinned at Lisa. "Lisa, you go first."

"W-what?" Lisa stumbled. Kristi smiled. "You heard her," she said. "You go first!" She took out two facedown cards with the words Truth or Dare on them. "Pick a card, any card!" Ally cried. Lisa shakily outstretched her hand and picked a card. Carole crossed her fingers, hoping her friend got the Truth card. "Well, read it!" Veronica and Dana cried simultaneously. Lisa flipped her card over and gasped. "Dare! It's dare!"

Kristi grinned at Ally. "You can decide her Dare, Ally!" Ally nodded, wearing the same smile. "Okay, Lisa," she said, "I want you to go out in the street and yell at the top of your lungs, 'I am a loser!'" Lisa sighed and headed to the door. Everyone laughed except for Carole, who knew this was beginning to be an ugly night.

Lisa trotted down the street, wrapping her small jacket tightly around her. She stopped in front of a house 2 homes down from Veronica's. It was smaller and nastier than the others. "It must be a different street," Lisa decided. She walked up to the broken porch, swallowed, and bellowed, "I AM A LOSER! I AM A LOSER! I AM A BIG FAT TURKEY JERKY LOSER!" A few cats from within snarled loudly, and the door opened. "Umm, uh…" Lisa was about to run back to Veronica's, until she saw who had appeared. It was Stevie.


	3. Chapter 3

(The story gets totally unrealistic from her XD It's interesting, though…and I bleep out what I consider curse words, by the way. And the Steven Lake Story starts in this chapter!)

LISA? WHAT THE H ARE YOU DOING AT MY HOUSE?" Stevie cried. "Uh…uh…well, I…" Lisa's lower lip (an alliteration!) quivered. Stevie slapped her head. "Never mind, smart one. Never mind." She pushed her door open. "My dad's not home yet; come in for a cookie, or some dog poo!" Lisa smiled and laughed, totally forgetting about Veronica's party.

Lisa left Stevie's house. She had actually only been there for a couple of minutes, as she had remembered that she was on a Dare. She ran up the street and up DiAngelo hill to Veronica's house. Jeeves was already waiting at the door for her, and she slithered up the stairs to Veronica's room. "What took you so long?" Ally asked. "Umm…long story…" Lisa replied as she sat down. Veronica whispered something into Carole's ear. Lisa's eyes widened as she looked at Carole. Carole seemed as though she were both drunk and insane.

Lisa was about to ask what was wrong with Carole, when she cut in. "Okay, Dana, pick a card!" Carole picked up the two cards and shuffled them around in her hands. Dana gulped and reached for the card on the left. "It's…like, O-M-GEEEEEEEEE! TRUTH!" she cried girlishly. Carole cackled. "Alright…do you REALLY have six toes, like everyone is saying at school?" she asked (GREAT question, loser!). "NO! I HATE THAT EVERYONE SAYS THAT!" she screamed. Tears began to swell in her eyes, but Veronica stopped this by slapping her friend's back. "Buck up, baby!" She turned to Carole. "Okay Carole, ready to go?" She grinned the Devil's Smile, and Lisa had a cold chill run down her spine.

Carole took a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm ready." Veronica laughed as she shuffled the cards. "Carole, I don't-." Carole reached for a card. "It's Dare. Hit me with me with you hardest, Veronica," Carole said bravely. "Alright…I have it," Veronica declared. She leaned towards Carole. "I'm going to give you something, and it will help you with your…task." She whispered something in Carole's ear and slipped something in her sweatshirt pocket. Lisa, studying the shape, knew what it was. A gun. Veronica had given her a gun.

"Okay, Carole, now for your task. Max has recently been granted a large sum of money-$100,000, to be exact. I would enjoy that money, to be added to my father's account." "Veronica, how the heck-." "Shut it! So what you have to do is rob the class on Monday with the…gift I've given you. Unless you want me to tell THEM something…" "Okay! I'll do it!" Carole whisked her head around and faced Lisa and Kristi. "You two better keep your mouth shut, you hear?" Lisa became paler, but Kristi only nodded. And chaos began.

Lisa bolted out of the stall. Class was beginning in five minutes. She had to find Stevie. "Hey, Lisa! Where's the hold-up?" a voice called. Lisa turned and saw Red, Max's assistant. "H-hold-up?" Lisa stumbled. Red laughed. "Never mind. It's called a metaphor!" He touched Lisa's shoulder. "Something wrong? Ya seem like a ghost's got you!" Lisa brushed him off. "N-no, nothing! But have you seen Stevie?" "Yeah, she went to class!" Before Red could ask why, Lisa was running down the hall to get Stevie.

Stevie stopped in front of the classroom door. Did she really want to go to class? She knew something bad was about to strike. "Stevie! Steeeeeeeevvvvvvieeeeee!" Lisa cried as she ran towards her. Stevie started to walk away, but Lisa stopped her. "Stevie, this is important. I have to talk to you, NOW."

Stevie sighed as she walked back to Lisa. "Okay, make it quick, weirdo," she muttered. Lisa nodded and explained what Carole was about to do. When she was done, Stevie turned pale. She grabbed Lisa. "Lisa, call the cops." Since Lisa just stood there, Stevie began to shake her. "NOW YOU DANG FOOL! NOW!" Lisa ran to Max's office and dialed the number for the police.

Stevie took in deep breaths. She was waiting for Lisa to come, but she was taking what seemed like forever. "Where the h is that girl already?" she asked herself. Class had been on for 10 minutes, but Carole had still not pulled the trigger. Stevie tapped her foot angrily, fighting with herself about whether she should reveal Carole to the whole class or escape the chaos.

"_STEVIE! STEVIE! NOT MY SON, STEVIE! I'LL BE THERE NOW!" Mr. Lake threw the phone on the floor and threw on his jacket. "Daddy, what's wrong?" Stephanie asked worriedly. Her father turned to her with a stern, cold look. "Your brother Stevie…your brother…" He fell on the floor and bawled. Stephanie ran over to him. "What about Stevie, Daddy? What happened?" she asked, shivering crazily. Mr. Lake picked Stephanie up and dashed out the door. He threw her into the back seat and started the ignition. "Daddy! Tell me what's going on!" Stephanie screamed. "What happened to Stevie and where are we going?!" Mr. Lake backed out of the driveway and pushed the speed limit. He took the exit towards the hospital, and Stephanie knew what was wrong._

"Stevie! Stevie, they're coming!" Lisa cried as she ran down the hall. She found Stevie on the floor clutching her head. "Stevie? Are you okay?" she asked, stooping down to her level. Stevie lifted her head and nodded, her eyes red with sadness. Lisa tried to smile, but it came out distorted. "Ummm…well…the cops are coming, and they'll be armed with their largest machine guns!" Lisa cried. Stevie sniffed and said nothing. Lisa turned to the classroom and saw that Carole was beginning to shuffle her hands around in her pocket. _The gun,_ Lisa thought. _She's about to blow the roof off!_


	4. Chapter 4

(This is totally unrealistic, but please don't complain about it XP. Officer Murray- based on the creator of Rocko's Modern Life, Officer Hillenburg- based of the creator of SpongeBob.)

4 cops dashed through the stable. Red, who was cleaning the manure out of Red Rover's stall, gasped at the sight of the "fuzz" walking around in the stable. "Umm, excuse me sirs, but do you need something?" he asked. 1 of the cops turned to him. "Yeah, where's the classroom?" he asked hurriedly. "Oh, down the hall and to your left!" he said. Once again, before he had could ask why, the cops had ran off.

The police officers panted as they finally found Lisa (their senses of direction STINK ON ICE!). "Oh, thank heavens you're here, officers!" she said. "Alright, is the girl in there? The girl with the gun?" the tallest officer asked. Stevie bounced up. "Yes sirs, and I think she's about to start the shootout!" The police nodded. "Hey boys, let's make this fun. Let's wait 'till then!" YOU IDIOTS! WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM! IDIOTS!

Carole raised her hand. Max was teaching the class how horses reacted to different environments. "Yes, Carole?" he asked. Carole stood up. "May I draw a diagram for the class on how horses react in good and bad weather?" she asked with a fake sweet voice. Max, startled at her newfound enthusiasm, replied, "Sure, Carole. I suppose…" Carole smiled at him as she skipped to the front of the class. Her classmates began whispering furiously. They, too, found her proposal a bit strange.

Carole stopped in front of the board. She reached in her pocket. "I…brought my own tool for explanation…" she said. "Oh, well, would you like to show us?" Max asked. Veronica, from across the room, smiled at Carole. Kristi looked around nervously. "Of course I would! That's the point!" Carole pulled the "tool" out of her pocket and then… "NOO! DON'T SHOOT!"

_Stephanie and her father slammed the car doors and sped into the hospital. "Okay, where's Steven Lake? Where's my son?" Mr. Lake demanded when he reached the clerk. "Sir, only family members may see him now. He's in critical condition," the clerk answered, filing her nails absent-mindedly. Stephanie pounded her fists on the counter. "STEVEN IS MY OLDER BROTHER! STEVIE IS MY BROTHER AND WE WANNA SEE 'IM NOW!" Stephanie screamed. The other people in the lobby glanced over at her, startled. "O-okay, he's in room 201, on the second floor!" the clerk said. Stephanie grabbed her father's hand and the pair ran up the stairs._

The police officers blew the door open with their guns. The class gasped. Two of the officers guided the kids and Max out of the room while the other pair faced Carole. Her face was splattered with blood. One officer, named J. Murray, felt something warm seep through his boot as he faced Carole. He looked down and saw-"AHHH! A DEAD GIRL! A DEAD GIRL IS ON MY FOOT!" He jumped to the other side of her. "Yes, it seems as though you missed the first part of my act, the part in which I killed Kristi!" Carole cackled demonically. "You killed a girl? YOU FIEND!"

Officer Murray shot three bullets at Carole, who did vice-versa. The other officer, Officer S. Hillenburg, examined Kristi's body. "She's been hit only once, near her heart. A hole was blasted clean through her," he told Officer Murray. "Great-I'm-kind of-busy-here-Hillenburg!" Murray cried between shots. Carole was effective at dodging each one, as was Officer Murray. It seemed like the fight would never end.

Lisa and Stevie ran to the stable loft. If anyone was about to die, they did not want to hear it happen. "Lisa, thanks for telling me about Carole," Stevie said quite spontaneously. Lisa just smiled. She was thinking about something. She finally turned to Stevie and asked, "Stevie, what were you crying about when I came back from calling the 'fuzz'?" Stevie's eyes widened a little. "Well…I guess you would have to find out eventually." She got up and leaned against the wall, her face down. "I was thinking about my brother, Steven. My older brother Stevie."

" 'SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND,' CANNIBAL!" Officer Murray quoted. He shot all of his bullets full speed at Carole. She dodged most, but the lucky last, lucky 13, hit her in the abdomen. "MY GUT! YOU HIT MY GUT, YOU IDIOT!" she screamed. She fell to the ground. Hillenburg quickly cuffed her and Murray confiscated her gun. "That's the end of your reign, Maleficent!" he cackled. Hillenburg looked up at him. "No man. Just, no." He shook his head as he began to trace Kristi's body.

"You have a brother?" Lisa asked, shocked. Stevie nodded. "Well, had anyway. Stevie and I were 5 years apart, and yet we were as close as twins. He was…" Tears began to roll down her cheek. "He was only 14 when he died. It was only a year ago, as well. He had…he had so much ahead of him…he was going to go to Harvard one day, we all knew it…My dad had ne'er been prouder…" Stevie fell on the hay of the loft and broke down in tears. "But that stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID…" She didn't finish, as she was drowning in tears and Lisa had embraced her in a hug.


	5. Chapter 5

Lisa and Stevie were in Max's office. Everyone was being interrogated about Carole's shoot out. As Lisa finished talking, Stevie gave her a thump on the back. "Good job, kid. You dig okay," Stevie whispered. "Stop quoting The Outsiders!" Lisa replied as she left the office. Officer Hillenburg wrote down what Lisa had said, then looked at Stevie. "Well, Stephanie-." "-It's Stevie." "Right. Okay, Stevie, tell me your side of the story." Stevie nodded. "I'm…I was Carole's best friend. She hated violence and I'm not really sure why she turned to it in the first place. Her mom died around the same time that my brother Steven died, which was a little over a year ago. Ever since then, I think Carole's becoming a little more hostile towards people. Maybe this hostility turned her towards killing. But I doubt that.

"Carole is one of the smartest kids in my school. She's won Student-of the-Month twice already, and she's real polite," -Hillenburg began to give her a strange look-"Honest. But she told me once that she wanted to get rid of her anger like a gun depletes its bullets. I told her that was wrong to think that, but she didn't really listen. She is stubborn. Her reason for killing Kristi was probably to deplete her bullets, if you know what I mean. But I don't know how she got the gun. I don't know how the heck she got that gun, Officer Hillenburg. I swear." Stevie sighed. Hillenburg smiled. "Tell Veronica to come in." Stevie nodded, and left the room.

" '_Ey, Stevie," Mr. Lake said quietly. Stevie was breathing through a mask. Tubes were fixed in his nose, arms, and legs. He turned his head towards his father and managed a smile. "Hi, Stevie. How ya feeling?" Stephanie asked. She reached out to hold her brother's hand, but her father grabbed it. "Stephanie, no. You aren't s'pposed to touch 'im," he warned. Stephanie drew her hand back. Father and daughter watched the brother/son as he fogged up his mask. "Aww, man, Stevie! You know I…I d-don't like having to get your homework from Doug all the time…you know that…I don't wanna hafta now…" Stephanie sniffed. Stevie made a strange noise that seemed to be a chuckle. Mr. Lake handed his daughter a tissue. "Well, Stevie…We'll go out an' buy you a ton o' presents, 'kay? We'll be back, I promise!" So with that, Mr. Lake grabbed Steffie's wet hand and the pair left to speak with Stevie's doctor. _

"So, Carole, you want to get outta those cuffs, doncha?" Officer Murray asked, walking across the room. Carole was the final one to be interrogated, as she WAS the perpetrator. "Well, maybe just a teeny weeny bit," Carole replied sarcastically. Murray slammed his hands on the desk in front of Carole. "I am an officer, and you do NOT talk to me like that!" he spat. "Geez, sorry, Barney Fife!" Murray slapped his head. "Okay Carole, I'm going to put this in words even YOU can understand-why the heck did you hold a stick-up?" Carole twisted her face maniacally. "Simple. I'm a girl of my word. And I need to break out of my mold." Hillenburg, who was recording everything, removed his feet from the table they were on and muttered, "Why not just join a darn club or something?"

"Your friend, Stevie, said you normally hated violence. Why did that change?" Carole introverted her eyes from the policeman. "ANSWER ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU!" "Because…because…my mother…" "YOUR MOTHER WHAT, D? WHAT?" "MY MOTHER DIED FROM CANCER, BUT SHE COULD'VE LIVED IF AN IDIOT HADN'T BROKEN ALL OF HER BONES BY KNOCKING HER CAR OFF THE ROAD! I WANTED TO KNOW HOW A MURDERER FELT BEFORE THEY KILLED SOMEONE!" Murray and Hillenburg exchanged glances, and then became quiet.

Stevie and Red Rover jumped over a, well, jump. They hadn't ridden together, and Stevie wanted to try him out. "Hey, Stevie!" a voice called (oh brother…). Stevie halted Red Rover and turned. "Oh, hey Red," she said. Red leaned on the fence as Stevie and R.R. trotted over to him. "Uh, Stevie, I'm sorry about, y'know, Carole becoming a homicidal maniac," Red murmured. Stevie walked R.R. straight across the ring and back. "Me too, Red," she said, looking at the sky. "Me too." She rode R.R. to the jump again and had him jump over it trice (yep, that's a word!). Red scratched the back of his neck, thinking of some sappy comment that would cheer Stevie up. But he, of course, couldn't think of one.

Lisa closed her bedroom door and jumped on her bed. Although she had been there just this morning, she felt as though she hadn't been home in years. Her little sister Melanie opened the door and shouted, "STOP JUMPING! Ashley and I are attempting to make a voodoo doll of Veronica!" Melanie slammed the door and Lisa stuck her tongue out. She laughed and lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. "I'm glad to be home…" She picked up her copy of The Three of Great Importance (inside joke that no one but me will get!) and began to read where she had left off. Emilia had just run into the Forest of Wonders and Crik was looking for her. The cats of the Crow King's court were attacking Grimy back at the Halloween festival. Lisa was captivated by the story, and ended up falling asleep with the book in her hand.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hey, Dad! Dad, I'm home!" Stevie cried as she shut the door. It was 8 at night, and she had been blowing off steam at the stables. "I guess he isn't home…but his car is here…" She walked up the creaky stairs to her Dad's small room. No sign of him. She entered his office, which used to be Stevie's room. He wasn't there, either. "Stupid Dad…just because Stevie isn't here doesn't mean that he HAS NO KIDS!" She punched the wall next to where Steven's bed had been. "D, Stevie… why'd you have to go and die on us…?" she sobbed. She rubbed her fist and left her deceased brother's room. Stevie then heard the door shut. She ran down the stairs and met her father face-to-face. "Steffie, I…was with Claudia…I took her car…" Stevie was about to yell at her father, but when she met his eye, she saw what she hadn't seen in a year-Steven. She hugged her father tightly and sobbed. And Steven Sr. sobbed with her. And up in heaven, Steven Jr. smiled; he was happy to see his sister and father weren't fighting for once.

Carole exhaled as Hillenburg took the cuffs off her wrists. "Thank you, Officer Griffith!" she moaned (sarcastically no less). "YOU BRAT! Why I oughta…!" Hillenburg raised his fist, but Murray grabbed it. "Hillenburg…" "Alright, I get it, geez!" Hillenburg tucked his fist back into his pocket. "So, can I go home now?" Carole asked as she jumped off the chair she had been on. She headed to the door, but Murray stopped her. "NO! You're a convict charged with man slaughter, of course you can't leave!" he cried as he thrusted her back into the chair. "Now you're gonna sit there QUIETLY and you're gonna like it!" Murray threw Hillenburg a key. "Those are for the cuffs if you need 'em. I need to get a Moolatte…" With that, Murray slammed the door and headed off to Starbucks.

Lisa woke up. It was midnight, or so her watch said. "Man, am I a deep sleeper or what?" she asked herself. As she put her pajamas on, she heard something being thrown around downstairs. She tiptoed to the living room quietly and saw… "Oh my gosh! VERONICA!" Lisa whispered frantically. Veronica had Lisa's mom pinned to a corner. "Tell me where she is!" she screamed. "Tell me where Lisa is!" Lisa slapped her head. "That's Veronica for you, a mindless freak o' nature!" Mrs. Atwood sank down towards the floor. "Why? What the h do you want with my daughter!?" she yelled back. Veronica pulled out a knife. "The money Max was given is to be handed out to Rider-of the-Month. AND LISA IS RIDER-OF THE-MONTH!" Veronica slammed the knife into the wall, right above Mrs. Atwood's head. "AND I NEED THAT MONEY, D!"

"_Well, Mr. Lake, I can tell you that his chance to live is pretty grim," Dr. Shih-Tzu said. Stephanie's dad was discussing what had happened to Stevie with the doctor while Stephanie waited outside the room. "Doctor, mate, please tell me what the heck happened to my son already!" Mr. Lake pleaded. Dr. Shih-Tzu sighed and nodded. "Well…we received a call from a young man named Douglas Finch that his friend had been pressured into an alcohol drinking contest. Your son Steven won, as I was told, by consuming 15 cans of beer in a row." Mr. Lake turned pale. "Doug and Stevie…drinking?" he asked himself. The doctor continued. "We rushed over to the place where Steven was said to be and brought him here as quick as possible, but…" Dr. Shih-Tzu wiped his brow nervously. "His liver was damaged by the alcohol. There's only a slim chance that he'll live." Stephanie, who had been listening, fell to the floor and ran to Stevie's room. She had to be there…to say goodbye._

Stevie turned off her PS2. She had just had a long talk with her dad about the death of Steven. She switched the TV off Audio Video 3 and settled on her bed. Her favorite show, Saved By the Bell(:P), was on. One of the main characters was singing a song that reminded her of a song Steven had taught her. "Stevie…why can't I remember anything you taught me?!" She fell back on her bed and sighed. "And why aren't you still here to teach me?" She soon cried herself to sleep.

Veronica was smashed against the wall. "Don't you EVER threaten my mother again! NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER (another joke no one will get!)!" Lisa screamed. Veronica's lip bled violently as she trembled. "Vut? I did NOT threaten your mudder! A DiAngelo would NEVER be caught doing dat!" Veronica whined, blood gushing from her mouth. Lisa grabbed the knife that her mother had fainted under and stabbed Veronica's hand to the wall. Veronica screamed in pain as Lisa pulled the knife out. "Don't give me that crud! If you want that god-forsaken money, you'll have to go through me, for god's sake!" Lisa yelled. Veronica began to cry, as if they were two preschoolers again.


	7. Chapter 7

(Thanks for reading, guys! There's only one more chapter left cry. I hope you like the ending as much as I do!)

Veronica whipped out her cell phone and dialed. "M-Mom? I-It's me. Look, I-I got into some twouble and I'm at Lisa Atwood's house." She spat out Lisa's name as if it were it disease. Then, silence. "No, I did not bwing dat d cheesecake for the Mrs.! Dis is more impowtant! Just please come get me alweady, for the sake of Camp Lazlo!" Veronica sobbed. Lisa stared at her with pain in her eyes. _What's happening to me? I'm becoming heartless, like…_Lisa watched as Veronica ran out the door and into her mother's car. _Like Veronica is and Kristi used to be._

"So, Hillenburg-may I call you Hillenburg?" Carole asked. The pair was still in Max's office, waiting for Murray to come back. Hillenburg chuckled to himself. "Actually, I'd prefer it if you called me 'Supreme Bikini Bottom Overlord'," he replied. "I don't think so. Hillenburg, other than working with those losers over at Nickelodeon, what do you do in your spare time?" "Well, I like taking bathes, watching my show, and writing new episodes of Rocko's Modern Life, even though they'll never be animated." He rambled on and on and on and on and on, like I tend to do. While he rambled, Carole quietly slipped out the door, the cuffs and the key to them in her hand. "Sucker!" she whispered as she went down the hall.

Carole unlocked her horse, Starlight's, stall. She mounted and the two quickly trotted back home, to Carole's. Hillenburg, who had just finished rambling, looked towards Carole's seat. "That little-!" he screamed. He grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Heffer, this is Sponge Bob. The eagle has left; I repeat Heffer, the eagle has left!" he screamed. Murray's voice came out from the other end. "Will you stop calling me Heffer?! WHY THE H DID YOU LET THE D GIRL GO, YOU MORON?!" Hillenburg whimpered and replied, "I didn't mean 'ta!" " 'I didn't mean to!' WELL YOU KNOW WHAT? YOU NEVER MEAN TO, D!" He continued cursing, but Hillenburg shut off the walkie-talkie. He ran out of the room to find Carole. _I'm not a baby, Joe. Why aren't we pals like we used to be?_

Murray slammed down his walkie-talkie onto the table. He sipped his Moolatte furiously. "'Ey, Mac," the bartender (so to speak), Mr. Lawrence (MUAHAHAHA!), said as Murray was drinking. "Doug, you know my name is Joe. Why do you always call me Mac? It's so d annoying!" Mr. Lawrence gasped. "Whoa, Joe! Bad language, man!" The pair laughed and Mr. Lawrence sat down across form Murray. "How's Stephen doing? You two still good pals?" he asked. Murray grunted and replied, "Well, Steve and I have been diminishing our tolerances for each other lately." "Umm…so, you two are getting along?" Murray slapped his head. "No, Doug. We aren't." He hastily finished his beloved coffee and paid. The officer and creator ran out of Starbucks as if he were drunk. Well, maybe he was. You can never tell with that guy; he's just too crazy. I would know, I watch Rocko and Camp Lazlo (sometimes for the latter). Only a crazy person could make those shows.


	8. Chapter 8

Murray slammed down his walkie-talkie onto the table. He sipped his Moolatte furiously. "'Ey, Mac," the bartender (so to speak), Mr. Lawrence (MUAHAHAHA!), said as Murray was drinking. "Doug, you know my name is Joe. Why do you always call me Mac? It's so d annoying!" Mr. Lawrence gasped. "Whoa, Joe! Bad language, man!" The pair laughed and Mr. Lawrence sat down across form Murray. "How's Stephen doing? You two still good pals?" he asked. Murray grunted and replied, "Well, Steve and I have been diminishing our tolerances for each other lately." "Umm…so, you two are getting along?" Murray slapped his head. "No, Doug. We aren't." He hastily finished his beloved coffee and paid. The officer and creator ran out of Starbucks as if he were drunk. Well, maybe he was. You can never tell with that guy; he's just too crazy. I would know, I watch Rocko and Camp Lazlo (sometimes for the latter). Only a crazy person could make those shows.

"Dad? DAD! I'm home, you moronic boob!" Carole screamed as she entered her home. Starlight was "parked" in the backyard, and a car was pulling up into the driveway. "Great. Dad and Monica are here." Carole groaned and dashed upstairs and into her room. She heard her dad's laughter as he and "Big Butt" entered the house. Carole slammed the door and picked up her phone. She dialed Stevie's number. "Hello, this is Stevie." "Hi Stevie. Carole. Look, I need a place to crash for awhile until I'm ready to tell my dad what happened." "Okay. Lisa's house is on…" "I meant yours, Einstein!" "Oh…Carole, I'm going through a depressing mental crisis right now. You can't come here. And the only available room is Stevie's room, and no guests are allowed in there." _Stevie really is going through a mental crisis! She's speaking in the third person! _Carole thought. She hung up rudely and slapped her face. She jumped onto her bed, and eventually fell asleep.

"_STEVIE!" Stephanie cried. She burst the door to his room open, but… "Stevie…"Stevie whispered. Stephanie looked at his heart monitor. The lines that showed his pulse were in a race-a race at cheetah-like speed. "Stevie, why did you do it? Why are you leaving me?" Stephanie pleaded. "I'm not a loser…I had to prove myself…Stevie," Stevie murmured. The monitor was going faster than ever. Stephanie looked at it and smiled. "Look Stevie! Your heartbeat is going up! You'll be okay!"(Hey, she's only nine years old!) Stevie let out a weak laugh. "No, I won't be, Stevie…" Stephanie growled. "YOU WILL! YOU WILL! AND STOP CALLING ME STEVIE, STEVIE!" Stevie just laughed again. He took his sister's hand. "I'm going to see Mom…you've got to be Dad's friend while I'm gone, Stephanie. You've got to be like I was. You've got to be Stevie." The heart monitor gave a low, eerie beep. And they all knew he was dead._


	9. Chapter 9

(GASP! The final chapter! Thank you for reading all along! I may write a sequel.)

Stevie bolted up. "STEVIE!" She ran into Steven's old room. He wasn't there, and he hadn't been in a long time. Stevie sighed and remembered what had happened. "And that's why I'm Stevie now…" She walked back into her room…and fell asleep.

If Steven had been there, Stevie would've stayed up until midnight laughing with him, crying with him, joking with him, wrestling with him, or just sitting around with him. But Steven was never going to laugh, cry, joke, wrestle, or just sit around with her ever again. He was gone, and he was never coming back.

_There is no such thing as 'happily ever after'. You can never be truly happy. Everyone believes that you will find something that will make you happy in life, like love or friendship. You want to know the truth? You'll never find it. Why spend your whole life searching for something that doesn't exist? You are not a character in a fairy tale. No one is. And yet some people are still wasting time devoting their lives to pursuing illusions known as dreams. An illusion is a fake image that is so realistic you can't help but to believe it. And you don't mind believing it; you want to believe it. The friendship formed between my friends, the other two members of the Saddle Club, and I was only an illusion; a dream we all wanted to believe was real. And so, there is no Saddle Club ever after. _

_And there will never _be_ a Saddle Club ever after._

END OF SADDLE CLUB EVER AFTER


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